Moussiers Redstart (Phoenicurus moussieri)

Moussiers Redstart

[order] PASSERIFORMES | [family] Muscicapidae | [latin] Phoenicurus moussieri | [UK] Moussiers Redstart | [FR] Rouge-queue de Moussier | [DE] Diadem-Rotschwanz | [ES] Colirrojo Diademado | [NL] Diadeemroodstaart

Subspecies

Monotypic species

Physical charateristics

The 13cm male Moussier’s Redstart has a black head with a broad white stripe running above each eye and down the side of the neck. The upperparts are black other than a white wing patch, and the rich chestnut tail, from which it and other redstarts get their names (start is an old word for tail). The underparts are a rich orange-red.
The smaller, shorter-tailed female has a pale brown head and upperparts, and the underparts are a paler orange than the male, although generally redder than the underparts of the similar but slightly larger female Common Redstart.

Listen to the sound of Moussiers Redstart

[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/M/Moussiers Redstart.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto

wingspan min.: cm wingspan max.: cm
size min.: 13 cm size max.: 14 cm
incubation min.: 0 days incubation max.: 0 days
fledging min.: 0 days fledging max.: 0 days
broods: 1   eggs min.: 3  
      eggs max.: 6  

Range

Africa : Northwest

Habitat

Its habitat is open woodland in rocky areas up to 3000 m altitude in the mountains.

Reproduction

Its nest is built in a bush or on the ground and the clutch is typically 3-6 eggs.

Feeding habits

Moussier’s Redstart feeds like a flycatcher, making aerial sallies after passing insects.

Conservation

This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
This species is an endemic resident breeder in the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa.
Moussiers Redstart status Least Concern

Migration

Resident throughout range.

Distribution map

Moussiers Redstart distribution range map

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